Just Like You
by Fairytailanimefan
Summary: Long ago and far away, in a village at the base of a mountain, something amazing was happening. At the same time, two identical baby girls were born. One of the babies was a princess. Princess Lucy would have only the finest. The second baby girl was born to commoners. They named her Juvia. Who knew they would be so similar? Nalu. Gruvia.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. Plot line is based off of Prince and the Pauper, half the dialogue is from Princess and the Pauper. This is my interpretation if these characters were in this story.**

Long ago and far away, in a village at the base of a mountain, something amazing was happening. At the same time, two identical baby girls were born.

One of the babies was a princess. King Jude and Queen Layla were overjoyed. Princess Lucy would have only the finest.

The second baby girl was named Juvia. Her parents loved her every bit as much as the king and queen loved the princess, but they were worried. They were so poor. How would they care for their little daughter?

Many years passed. The princess learned her royal duties, while Juvia worked long and hard as a seamstress for the horrible Master Jose.

With lives so different, it wasn't surprising that the princess and the pauper never met. But fate changed that.

It all started at the royal mine, where the miners informed the king that the gold had run out. The king was shocked. The kingdom was bankrupt. How would he care for his people?

He wistfully thought if only he could call on his trusted adviser Ivan. But, he was away on a long journey. King Jude, a widower, needed to do something quickly to save his kingdom.

Then, it struck him. Nearby lived a rich young king who was seeking a wife.

…..

"We're late! Late late late! We have twenty, probably twenty two minutes, for your royal fitting! And then we have to move, move, move to your speech at the Historical society! After that we have to rush, and I mean RUSH to the Horticultural Society Tea! And oh, there's your maths lessons, geography lessons, science lessons…" Horologium, Lucy's scheduler was extremely frazzled as Lucy hummed and wandered her room. All Lucy wanted was one day for herself, with nothing to do and nowhere to be. She was pining for that day to come.

Meanwhile, Juvia was up to her eyeballs in fabric.

"Juvia wishes she would have one day for herself. Not waking up with hems to sew and sleeves to press. Ugh, Juvia does not want to sew this wedding gown! There's one thousand stitches to crochet!" Juvia sighed miserably to her companion, a man named Gajeel who nailed the steel into boots for Master Jose. They both spent their days miserably in each others company.

"Master Jose!" Gajeel grunted in surprise as he appeared at the top of the stairs. Their workspace was just the dusty basement of the glamorous shop above. There were shoes, needles, threads, and fabrics strewn about the room. He eyed it with disdain.

"I don't pay you to sit here and complain, Juvia." he held contempt in his voice.

"J-Juvia is just tired. She feels like this is too much work for her to do in one week!" Juvia gestured at the partially made wedding gown for the Princess. She fantasized of one day getting married and being free of her debt.

"If you're working at this slow pace, you'll be here for another thirty-seven years!" Jose had a malicious grin on his face.

"But Juvia has already paid off more than half!" she gasped.

"Ah, but there's interest, isn't there? Your parents should have thought of that before they borrowed so much." Jose references the loans he had given her parents under the pretense it would be paid off in full. But Juvia's parents perished in an accident, and Juvia was left with the debt.

"They did it to feed Juvia!" Juvia stood from her bench.

"That was their mistake then, wasn't it?" Jose slammed the door before Juvia could reply. She crumpled back down to her bench, threading a needle with tears in her eyes.

"What would it be like to be free?" Juvia sighed.

"I wonder what it would be like to be free." Lucy said nearly the same words miles away. She was gazing out the window at someone. It was her royal guard, Natsu. She did that a lot. Sometimes he would notice her looking, and wave to her with a huge grin on his face. "If I were free, I could try all these crazy things. Like the stories Natsu tells me. And I would be able to marry who I choose…" Lucy gasped in shock as her father placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Darling, I'm sorry. But it is crucial that you marry King Gray. It's the only way we can take care of our kingdom." Jude told her softly.

"I know. It's my duty." Lucy steeled her spine and tore her eyes from her secret love.

"But look! Here's another engagement gift." Jude pointed out. Lucy nearly groaned, but she kept her discomfort on the inside. He left the room, and she began to talk aloud to herself again. She did that a lot, since she was left alone when she was not needed.

"People must think that I'm so lucky. I've got so many things. But I guess I've finally realized that presents don't come without expectations." she fondled the ribbon on the top of the box.

Juvia was fiddling with ribbons as well, but these were for the Princess's wedding dress.

"Juvia knows she has almost nothing. But, someday people will gather from all over the world to see Juvia's water magic!" some beings in the land of Fiore had special talents. They were known as magicians. Juvia had the talent of being able to manipulate water. Gajeel was talented with iron. And Juvia heard somewhere that even the Princess was talented with keys.

"I'll come along. Gihi!" Gajeel laughed in his weird way. He shook his dark black mane out of his eyes and continued to tap nails into the bottom of shoes, a few of them clenched between his teeth.

"Soon, Juvia will be forever free!" she had determination shining in her dark eyes.

"I don't think I'll ever be free." Lucy walked out onto her balcony. She closed her dark eyes, sadness washing over her expression. With the outside world shielded by her eyelids, she pretended she was flying a thousand miles away. But her eyes snapped open once again. "No. I'll remain forever royal and save my kingdom. I won't run away." she turned away from the window. "Duty means that I must do things that my heart may regret. But…" she gave another longing glance at Natsu. "I'll never stop believing. After all, there's more to life than these gloves and gowns and threads and seams." Even though Lucy wished that she was born a free commoner, she had a duty. And she would not wish her responsibility on anyone else.

"Juvia must do her duty and repay her parents debt. But Juvia knows that there's more than this." she glanced sadly at her surroundings. She wished that she had been born a princess, who could travel the world and meet princes and go to balls. But Juvia would not wish her life on anyone else, because it was hers to live.

…..

"Okay, what idiot put this in here?" asked Rogue, a usually quiet person. But, around his partner he opened up a bit and seemed a bit out of character based on his appearance. His jet black hair and ruby red eyes made most people run in fear.

"Me? I'm the only other one down here." his partner, Sting, replied with an eyeroll. His blonde hair glinted in the faint light, and his violet eyes had an annoyed twinge at the corners. An angry tic appeared on Rogue's temple.

"Okay, let's review. We are stealing _gold_." Rogue gestured to the abandoned mine surrounding them. "Is this shiny?" he held the dull rock up to the only light source in the mine.

"No." Sting groaned.

"Valuable?" Rogue coerced.

"No!" Sting was angry at being treated like an idiot.

"Will this make the boss happy?" Rogue tried again.

"No." Sting became sheepish.

"Just, focus on getting the gold so we can get paid and get out of this town." Rogue froze as he heard a shuffling noise from further up the mine. "Someone's coming. Get down!" he hissed out, snuffing the flame from the torch as the two men hid behind the mine cart.

"Hello boys." Ivan Dreyar appeared at the fork in the mine.

"Oh, Master Ivan. You're back… here… early. Hope you had a nice journey." Sting clearly showed dislike for the man in front of him. But, he was paying them very well to find gold in the cave.

"Here. This is the last of the gold. There's nothing left." Rogue offered a tiny nugget to the man ahead of them.

"Yes, it's finally mine. After bowing and lying like a rug and waiting ten years, I've finally got the rest of this. It was just waiting here for me." a wicked grin slowly crossed his face. "I'm returning home a hero. What better husband could the princess choose?" Sting and Rogue both shuddered at the thought of the much older man marrying the princess who was just turning eighteen. "I'll bring the kingdom back to health and then I'll kill the king and get his crown. The reign of Ivan is here! Even though that blasted princess treats me so coldly, she's got an inner fire. Soon she won't be able to deny me." his eyes blazed with an evil no one had ever seen from him before.

"Right, there's just one problem, sir." Sting spoke up.

"That's King to you!" Ivan scoffed.

"Right. But, the king decided to marry the princess off to the king of Isvan next week." Sting told him dryly.

"What?! Making that decision without _me_?!" Ivan roared. "Who does that idiot king think he is?!"

"The king?" Sting's humor didn't help the situation.

"Silence!" Ivan shouted once again. "This is a… temporary setback." his expression filled with deviousness. "The moment that I get back I'll show them who's boss. Suppose the girl went missing." Ivan's eyes flashed. "The king decides to leave. Then I "find" her, bring her back and become a hero. The king will be so grateful that he'll pledge the heir to me. And I'll humbly tell him, "how can I refuse?"" Ivan began to cackle. "And once the ceremony is over, I'll finally take the throne. That nitwit Lucy can kiss my boot. The kingdom of Magnolia _and_ the castle will be mine and mine alone. If the crown should fit, how can I say no?"

"Wow, that's.. Quite a plan." Sting replied, slightly shocked at the crazy man.

"Yes. I suppose you'd better get the roses and champagne ready for the party I'll throw when my brilliant plan is over." Ivan's cackle echoed throughout the mine. Both Sting and Rogue shivered, not getting a good feeling from the plan.

…..

"King Gray, are you sure about this?" King Gray's royal ambassador, Lyon asked as they sat inside the carriage outside the Kingdom of Magnolia's castle.

"Of course I'm sure." Gray scoffed.

"Alright then. Come with me." Lyon jumped out of the carriage and approached the guards to the castle. "I am Ambassador Lyon, here by invitation of the King." Lyon announced, and was quickly led into a sitting room. "Nice place here." he murmured to Gray.

"Yes. I can only hope that my fiance is just as nice." he had a wistful tone.

"Princess!" Natsu barged into Princess Lucy's room without knocking. He never did. She turned from her desk with a sigh.

"Oh, hello Natsu." she smiled kindly at him. "Look at this. This was found in the mines, it's called iron pyrite."

"Looks expensive." Natsu gave a low whistle.

"It's very pretty." she giggled. "But it's not considered valuable." she placed a magnifying glass down next to the sample.

"Really? It looks just like gold." Natsu furrowed his brow as if it would help him to identify the rock.

"It is commonly mistaken for that. But, it's called fools gold. It's virtually worthless. It's all that's left in the mine." she gave a sigh.

"Wow, good job your highness! You're really smart!" Natsu smiled at her, but did not hug her as he usually would when she made a discovery.

"Your highness?" she frowned. "Why the formality? It's only me."

"Well, I'm here on business from the king. The ambassador arrived with a gift." at Natsu's words, Lucy stood up. She was slightly afraid, and slightly excited. This wedding was happening much too fast for her tastes. Natsu gave a mournful nod and escorted her down to the sitting room, where two men were waiting.

"Natsu, why are there two?" she whispered. He merely shrugged before turning to the two strangers.

"I'd like to announce princess Lucy of the kingdom of Magnolia." he bowed to all three before going to stand guard at the door. Lucy walked slightly forward, tipping her head to them as they bowed. Her father appeared next to Lucy.

"On behalf of King Gray of the Kingdom of Isvan, I present this engagement gift to you." Gray came forward, a box offered to Lucy. Jude took it from Gray's hands.

"Thank you, ambassador! Lucy is quite pleased." Jude replied to him. Lucy said nothing, just kept smiling politely.

"May I enquire, your excellency," Lyon addressed the king, "if you've set a date for the wedding?"

"Will a week from today do?" King Jude replied to Lyon this time. Gray backed away as Lyon conversed with the king. He was disappointed that he could not give the gift directly to Lucy. But, he noticed that she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. So that was something.

"Ah! Next week?" Ivan, who had been standing at the edge of the room until this moment, burst out. Everyone turned to look at him. "That's… a most wise and thoughtful decision, your majesty." He bowed to King Jude when he saw the confused looks everyone was giving him.

"Excellent. I will, er, send for King Gray, so that he may finally meet his bride." Lyon nearly gave Gray's true identity away. There were a few more words exchanged before Jude sent Lucy away with Natsu. Even though it was her future being discussed, it seemed she need not be present.

"What do you think King Gray will be like?" Lucy asked Natsu as they left the room. He thought for a moment.

"Eh, he'll probably be kind of lame. But, I guess most royalty is." Lucy smacked his arm at that. "Hey, I didn't mean you!" he laughed, stretching his arms behind his head. His pink hair was tousled from the action, dark eyes giving off a thoughtful look that was rare for him.

"I know that it's the right thing to marry him." Lucy sighed. "But sometimes I wish… well…" she gave another longing look to her guard.

"Apparently he likes sculpting. He's talented with ice and stuff." Natsu grinned, remembering his own talent for controlling fire. "Luce, you're gonna need your cape."

"Huh? What for?" she questioned him.

"It's a nice day out and I think we need a change of scenery." his grin was contagious. She smiled back and off they went into the town. She covered her blonde hair with the hood from her cape once they got within the city limits.

"It feels so good to be outside the castle. Nobody knows who I am." Lucy basked in the sunlight that came in through the carriage windows. "So, which house was yours?" she asked, curious.

"Well, more of a room, really. We couldn't afford a house." Natsu was referencing he and his stepfather, Igneel. Igneel had disappeared a few years back, and so Natsu was trained in the castle to be a royal guard. On his fifteenth birthday he was issued to Lucy because he did so well at training.

"Oh, I didn't mean…" Lucy felt ashamed that she knew next to nothing about the past of the man she loved.

"I know." Natsu was unbothered. He shot her another grin before helping her out of the carriage. He gripped her hand tightly, causing butterflies to tingle all over her body. Natsu led her to a shabby looking building and gestured to one of the windows above. "Third floor on the left. Igneel taught me almost everything I know up there." he held a wistful tone, and Lucy's heart ached for him. Natsu led her through the streets, stopping in front of a stand that sold roses. He picked up a pink flower and smelled it, offering the blush rose to her.

"My favorite." she smiled shyly. "But, you knew that." Natsu had brought her flowers many a time before. On any occasion he saw fit, he brought her a blush pink rose. It soon became her favorite scent, and he realized it soon enough because she always smelled of them. She even perfumed her stationary with rosewater perfume. "It's beautiful." she sighed as she held the flower to her nose. Natsu paid for it and they walked a few more steps. Suddenly, Natsu's stomach growled.

"Sorry." he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Do you smell that?" Lucy asked as the delicious scent of stew wafted through the air.

"I'll be right back." he grinned, barely giving Lucy time to blink before he wandered off. She felt a little lost, alone in the crowd, but she saw a gathering of people ahead of her. Lucy decided to go and see what it was about. There was a girl in a blue cloak, very similar to Lucy's, and she had three cups of water in front of her. Lucy stared in awe as the girl did magic. The water in the cups floated out into the air and she began to juggle the orbs of liquid. Many people oohed and aahed as they put money into the dish in front of her.

"Playing with magic?" a man appeared, sneering at the girl. He bent down and snatched all the money out of the dish in front of her as the crowd dissipated, her tricks now over.

"Master Jose!" the girl cried. "Wait, Juvia earned that!" she reached out to grab the money back, but the man just held it out of her reach.

"And, you owe me. Do you really think you'll make a living as a magician? Get back to work, or there will be trouble." he sneered at her again before whisking away, taking all the girl's money with him. Lucy was outraged, but she did not want to make a scene with the man. That would only lead to trouble.

"That was an amazing trick." Lucy approached the sniffling girl, placing a few gold coins into her dish.

"Thank you. Juvia's mother taught it… to… huh?" the two girls stared at each other in shock. Each in their soft blue cloak, their hoods were both up, revealing their very similar features. Save for their eye colors, they were almost identical. Juvia's eyes were a bit more slanted than Lucy's, but they each had dark irises and pale skin.

"We could be sisters." Lucy was awed.

"What's your name?" they both asked at the same time.

"You first." Juvia giggled.

"Um, you can call me Lucy." she smiled at her.

"Lucy? You have the same name as the princess." Juvia smiled at the thought of the beautiful girl who lived in the beautiful castle who would soon be wearing another of Juvia's beautiful dresses.

"Well…" Lucy giggled.

"Your highness! Juvia thinks you should be inside the castle. It is not safe for you out here!" she gasped to the blonde. Lucy was confused as to why the girl spoke in the third person, but she decided she liked the quirk.

"Well, I'm savoring my first and last taste of freedom before getting married… to a total stranger." Lucy held a slightly petulant tone, but quickly shook it off.

"At least you don't live as an indentured servant." Juvia skulked.

"Indentured servant?" Lucy was appalled.

"Well," Juvia sighed, "it is like this. If Juvia wants her breakfast hot Master Jose makes Juvia pay. And Juvia has to fetch the eggs from the barn a mile down the road." she looked upset at this. "It is cold and wet, but Juvia still gets an omelet on her plate. But in Juvia's head she is back in bed snuggled up and sleeping until noon."

"Really?" Lucy was shocked at this.

"Really, but it is alright." Juvia smiled. "Juvia is used to it. And for Lucy?" she coerced the blonde into revealing some of her life.

"Okay, so. If I want some eggs I ring a little bell and my maid runs in the room. And she serves them on a silver tray and she brings a cookie tin." she felt a bit embarrassed at her much more lavish lifestyle. "And while I eat she gives me a foot rub and some musicians play for me. But, I would rather be in my library reading books all day." Lucy had never revealed her thoughts like these to a stranger before. Maybe not even to anyone other than Natsu.

"Juvia is just like you." the girl smiled at Lucy.

"You are?" Lucy cocked her head to the side.

"You're just like Juvia. There is somewhere else that Lucy and Juvia would like to be. Somewhere that is for Lucy, somewhere that dreams come true." Lucy had to admit that kind of world did sound nice. "Yes, Juvia is a girl like Lucy." Juvia seemed happy to reveal this.

"That does sound like fun." Lucy laughed.

"People would never think that it was like this, but now Juvia has met you and she knows. It's plain as day, sure as the sky is blue." Juvia was completely right in Lucy's eyes.

"So," Lucy wanted to know more about this girl. "You're a magician?"

"No. Juvia works at Master Jose's penitentiary." Juvia sniffed. "Uh, Juvia means Dress Emporium."

"No way! Master Jose's Shoe and Dress Emporium? I love those dresses!" Lucy squealed.

"Juvia made the one that you are wearing. And Juvia's friend Gajeel made the matching shoes." Juvia smiled, gesturing to Lucy's outfit.

"You made this dress?" Lucy looked down at the pink gown she wore. "It's my favorite. The design, though. It looks so complicated!" she was becoming more and more surprised with the girl.

"Oh, but it isn't. Juvia simply chooses a fabric from the rack and pins the pattern. Then Juvia stitches it in the front and back and it becomes a gown!" she described.

"I wear this gown without my crown and dance around my room." Lucy giggled when she revealed this. "And I imagine life without the strife of an unfamiliar husband." Natsu's face flashed into her mind. "But, I would never let my father know!" she panicked slightly. "I wouldn't want to disappoint him…" Lucy sighed.

"Juvia understands." the girl was sympathetic towards the princess. "Juvia is just like you, after all."

"Yes." Lucy smiled back. "We're just alike. We take responsibility and carry through to do what we need to."

"Anyone can see." Juvia said softly. They giggled at each other.

"We really could be twins." Lucy was still shocked by their appearances. They pulled their hoods down, but were met with disappointment. "Except for the hair." Lucy's bright blonde locks shone golden in the sunlight, but Juvia's dark blue hair seemed to absorb all the light around it. They still had the same features, though. "What about this birthmark?" Lucy pulled the shoulder of her gown down a bit, revealing a star shaped birthmark on the edge of her clavicle.

"Juvia has no such birthmark." Juvia pulled her gown aside as well, showing the unblemished skin. They smiled at each other again before pulling their hoods back up.

"Luce!" Natsu appeared, but abruptly stopped when he saw that there were two. "Uhhh…. Two princesses?" he nearly dropped the cups of stew he held, but managed to hold on. He glanced between the two cautiously.

"Natsu, this is Juvia." Lucy revealed which was her and pointed out her new friend.

"You guys look… Identical!" Natsu was awed at this. Juvia let out a chuckle.

"Well, Juvia must be getting back to the Dress Emporium. Do not forget about Juvia, your highness. And good luck with the marriage."

"Juvia, one day you must come and do your tricks at the palace!" Lucy went to the girl and grabbed her hands.

"Really?" Juvia seemed excited at the prospect.

"Yes! I'll send someone for you." Lucy smiled at her new friend.

"Juvia will be at Master Jose's." the bluenette sighed.

"Goodbye, Juvia! I won't forget."

"Goodbye, Lucy!" and so Juvia disappeared more quickly than the sun could go behind a cloud.


	2. Chapter 2

"Natsu, thank you for bringing me out today. But I would really like to take a bath in a bit. Could you run and tell Lisanna that I would like her to draw me a bath in an hour?" Lucy asked her handsome guard.

"Of course, princess. I'll see you later tonight." Natsu gave his friend a quick bow before running off to find Lucy's maid. Lucy sat in the drawing room that was attached to her bedroom, thinking of how much her feet hurt.

After a few minutes, she saw a flash of black and silver that matched the guard outfits perfectly. Thinking it was Natsu, she jumped up to go and see what he was doing. She was already bored of waiting around. The blur turned a corner before Lucy could get a good look.

She heard whispering, and so she tried to get closer to the sound to see what was going on. The whispering stopped as Lucy got nearer to the corner. Once she rounded it, nothing was there.

Before she could turn away, a rag was placed over her mouth and she passed out in the blink of an eye.

…..

"Unlock this door!" Lucy commanded, banging on the wooden door that she was trapped behind. When she came to, she was lying down on a straw cot in a dark room. There was a boarded up window and a locked door.

"Yes, your highness!" a person outside the door mocked her. "We're in charge here, blondie! You're not getting out." it was Sting. He was sitting outside the door, a headache already forming from all the pounding she was doing. He was about to go in there and scare the crap out of her when Master Ivan appeared.

"Does she have any idea that I'm the one behind this?" Ivan seemed suspicious of the partners that he hired. He did not want them to ruin his plans by accidentally telling them he was the one who kidnapped her.

"She has not even seen our faces." Rogue replied to him.

"Good! Keep her here until the wedding to King Gray is cancelled. Then we will see who the princess chooses to marry." Ivan boasted.

"Probably not you." Sting muttered lowly, and Ivan luckily did not hear. Lucy banged on the door again, shouting that she wanted to be let out. Ivan rolled his eyes and decided that it would be a good time to get back to the castle to carry out the rest of his plans.

After one hour of Lucy's request, Lisanna appeared in the princess's room to draw a bath. But no one in the castle had seen Lucy in almost an hour. King Jude went around the entire castle before circling back to her room, where Master Ivan met up with him.

"Your highness, is something the matter?" Ivan asked with an oily grin across his features.

"Yes something is the matter! I've got half of the staff looking for my daughter and she is missing! Gone without a trace!" Jude shouted, running his hand through his thinning blond hair.

"Wait, Jude!" Ivan called as he strode over to the princess's desk. "What is this? A letter?' he picked up a sealed envelope that he had placed there himself only a few minutes ago.

"How could I have missed this?!" Jude gasped, running over and snatching the envelope from his advisor. "A ransom note, maybe?" he tore it open, his eyes scanning the page. King Jude's face went pale.

"What does it say?" Lisanna, Lyon, Gray, Natsu, and the head of the guard, Erza were present for the latter half of the conversation. Natsu was extremely worried for Lucy after hearing all this.

"It says she's run away so that she won't have to marry King Gray!" Jude gasped out. He sounded horrified.

"Well this is just terrible!" Ivan pretended to be heartbroken.

"We have to go after her!" Natsu gripped his fists, going through every conversation that Lucy had had with him over the past few days. Nothing added up to her leaving.

"Yes, we have to find her. She could be hurt, or lost! She's rarely been outside the palace walls!" Jude turned towards Ivan.

"We will send out search parties at once, your majesty. I'm sure she could not have gotten far." Ivan said, but he knew that she was safely hidden away in a cabin in the forest.

"Ivan, what would I do without you?" Jude smiled thankfully at him.

"This is insulting! An outrage!" Lyon shouted.

"Now, I'm sure we'll find her!" Jude pleaded with the ambassador of Isvan.

"I insist that we cancel the wedding if the princess does not return by the end of the day." Lyon sniffed, ignoring Gray's look of warning. Lyon left the room in a huff, and Lisanna, Jude, and Gray followed, each trying to appease him in their own way. Erza left as well to go and rally the troops. Natsu and Ivan were left in Lucy's room.

"This just doesn't make any sense!" Natsu groaned. "Why would she run away?"

"See for yourself, boy." Ivan handed Natsu the letter. Natsu's nostrils flared as he caught the scent of the parchment.

"Vanilla?" he wrinkled his nose. "Where did you find this?"

"On the princess's desk." Ivan waved in the general direction of her study space.

"Maybe I can help you look for her." the wheels in Natsu's brain were turning cleverly.

"Why don't you stick to beating up your buddies? Wouldn't that be fun?" Ivan cackled and left the room.

"Lucy never used vanilla. She always used rose." Natsu said to himself as he, too, left the room.

At Master Jose's Shoe and Dress Emporium, Jose greeted an unexpected guest. The crest of the palace was hard to miss, as it was pinned to a white scarf that hung around a man's neck.

"Welcome, fine sir! Are you looking for a gown for a special woman? I can assure you, we have anything you're looking for." Jose grinned, trying to appease him to mooch the biggest amount of money from him possible.

"I'm here to speak to one of your seamstresses, Miss Juvia." reluctantly, and after a lot of convincing, Jose let Natsu downstairs to see Juvia. Gajeel was shocked into silence at the sight of a palace guard coming to see Juvia. He was worried for his friend, but realized he should not get in the way of palace business.

"Natsu!" Juvia gasped as he approached her. "Oh, the princess sent for Juvia!"

"Er, actually-" Juvia was too excited to listen to what Natsu was trying to say.

"Juvia is going to perform at the castle!" there were hearts in her eyes.

"No, wait, I came because-"

"But, Juvia is not ready! Juvia needs to rehearse!" she gasped as Natsu desperately tried to get her attention.

"If you would just-"

"Juvia must change her dress! Oh, what is Juvia thinking, Juvia only has one dress! Wait," Juvia finally heard what Natsu had been saying since he arrived. "Is that not why you're here?"

"Juvia, I'm sorry but no. The princess is missing and I need you to help me find her." Juvia was stunned into silence for a few moments, and even Gajeel's eyes widened. "We should go outside to talk." Natsu glared suspiciously at the doorway, but Master Jose was too busy with other customers to try and eavesdrop on Juvia's conversations.

"But what can Juvia do to help?" Juvia asked once they were out front.

"Pretend to be princess Lucy." Natsu pleaded.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Juvia gasped.

"Just listen. I think that the king's adviser, Ivan, has taken the princess off somewhere so the royal wedding will be cancelled." Natsu may not have been the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he had never trusted Ivan, and his suspicious ways were finally creeping up on him.

"That is awful." Juvia was saddened by this.

"If you pretend to be the princess, just for a short while, I can trick Ivan into revealing where he's hiding Lucy." Natsu pleaded again.

"Pretend to be royalty?" Juvia knew that it was treason to impersonate royalty. "Juvia could get thrown into prison. Or worse!"

"So can I, but…" Natsu sighed, not knowing how to put his feelings for Lucy into words.

"Lucy is in trouble, isn't she." Juvia became determined to help. "Count Juvia in." she smiled at the relieved look on Natsu's face. Natsu quickly ushered her inside the carriage he rode in, and they got back to the castle quickly. Since half of the castle was out searching for Lucy, it was easy to sneak Juvia in as a maid and then bring her to Lucy's room.

"Alright, here we are." he brought her over to where Lucy's closet was.

"Look at the size of this room!" Juvia sighed dreamily, thoughts of being a princess still very nice to her.

"You two really do look identical when you widen your eyes like that." Natsu laughed.

"Like this?" Juvia made a conscious effort to not look quite so sleepy as she usually did, and it made her blue eyes identical to Lucy's shape. "But there is still Juvia's hair."

"Don't worry about that." Natsu grinned, holding up a magic color wheel. "I can change your hair to blonde," he skimmed his finger over the wheel to get the perfect shade. "And then bam! Your eyes are brown now too." Juvia glanced in the mirror and saw that she looked exactly like the painting of Lucy that was on the wall behind her.

"But, Natsu…" Juvia whimpered a bit. "Juvia does not know how to be a princess!"

"Well neither does Lucy to be honest." he chuckled. "But first, make sure that you speak in first person. The rest of it is easy."

"J-I can do that." Juvia nodded to him.

"Sound a bit livelier. Lucy always sounds happy." Natsu instructed.

"Being Lucy is hard." Juvia giggled.

"Alright, now, onto the Princess Book of Etiquette. No nagging, bragging, sweating, fretting, slipping, tripping, slurping, burping, twittering or frittering allowed. Stay present, stay pleasant, stay proud." Natsu read aloud to Juvia.

"Thats a lot to remember." she laughed hesitantly.

"Thats not even the beginning of it." Natsu cleared his throat before reading more from the book. "To be a princess is to know which spoon to use. To be a princess is to own a thousand pairs of shoes. To maintain a regal gait leave the parsley on your plate. And be charming but detached and be amused. To be a princess is to never be confused. Do a plié and never fall don't ever stray from protocol. All through the day there's just one way you must behave. Do keep a grip and never crack, stiff upper lip and arch the back. Bend from above and always wear your gloves, and wave. Shoulders back and tummy in and pinky out and lift the chin and slowly turn the head from side to side."

"I see now." Juvia did her best to do what he said and to also speak in first person.

"Breathing gently, stepping lightly. Smile brightly, nod politely. Never show a thing you feel inside. Glide! To be a princess is to always look your best. To be a princess is to never get to rest. Sit for a portrait, never squirm. Sleep on a mattress extra firm. Speak and be clever, never at a loss for words. Curtsy to every count and lord. Learn how to play the harpsichord. Sing lullabies and always harmonize in thirds." Natsu was nearly out of breath from reading from the book so quickly.

"I think I'm getting some of it." Juvia sighed. Natsu turned his gaze to the portrait of Lucy on the wall.

"And… she has beautiful eyes. Things are always get better when she walks in the room."

"I see." Juvia smirked at the smitten boy.

"Then the doors close, and her happiness grows. She's like a rose that's forever in bloom." Natsu coughed as he realized he was revealing his feelings for Lucy to Juvia. "Anyways, so when you do a plie you-"

"Never fall!" Juvia supplied.

"Never, uh, show dismay?"

"And be there when people call." Juvia was beginning to get the hang of being a princess.

"Always be prepared for whatever royal life will bring. Do keep a grip and don't…"

"Ever crack!" she cried.

"Take dainty sips?"

"And don't ever turn your back!" It seemed like Juvia was the one who was instructing Natsu now.

"There's a time and place and way for everything. So, to be a princess is to never make your bed. To be a princess is to always use your head!" Natsu finished with a grin.

"That's so much to learn! How do princesses do it?" Juvia was awed.

"Well, usually there's a song that goes along with it but I can't remember how it goes." Natsu shrugged. Juvia laughed at this.

In the sitting room, Jude was on his throne, devastation sinking in as Ambassador Lyon called a council.

"It's official, then. Due to the disappearance of the princess, the wedding to King Gray is cancelled." Lyon announced.

"Your highness, wait!" Natsu rushed in. "May I present… Princess Lucy!" he flung his arms out to the side, and Juvia hesitantly entered the room.

"Darling?" Jude squinted at her. Natsu snuck up to the table next to Jude's throne and grabbed his glasses, crossing his fingers that it would be enough.

"Whoa!" Juvia exclaimed as she stumbled over her full skirt. "Uh, yes it is me." her voice had a twinge of nervousness in it, but she sounded very similar to Luvy. Ivan was boiling with anger at the sight of the princess, or who he thought was the princess.

"Oh, Lucy! You're back! Where have you been?!" Jude stood and came forwards, embracing her quickly.

"I am sorry. I should not have run away." the formal way that Juvia was speaking sounded a bit odd, but no one in the room thought anything of it. They all just assumed she was embarrassed.

"Promise me that you will never do anything like that again!" Jude scolded, and Juvia felt like a small child as she agreed.

"I still think we should cancel the wedding." Lyon sniffed. Gray let out a warning cough, and Lyon rolled his eyes. "Yes, but an agreement is an agreement… The wedding is back on! King Gray will arrive tomorrow."

"That is wonderful!" Jude replied.

"Uh, tomorrow?" Juvia's voice wavered.

"And then there is only a few days before the wedding. Oh, has anyone seen my glasses?"

"If you will excuse me, your highness, but I must be off to see the, uh, arrangements! Yes, the arrangements for the wedding!" Ivan attempted to sneak out the doors.

"Is everything alright, Ivan?" Natsu's eyes bore into the back of his skull.

"It soon will be!" Ivan had a fake cheeriness to his voice. It was a miracle how dense everyone in the room but Natsu was being. After Ivan left, Natsu saw something green on the floor. He picked it up, realizing it was a piece of a tree.

"This is Lucy's favorite tree… a silver fir? Why is Ivan out in the Western Forest…?" Natsu asked himself.

"Oh, Natsu! Wait! I want to hear all about how you found Lucy!" Jude called, and Natsu sighed before going over to him.

"Yes, of course, your majesty."


	3. Chapter 3

"Sting. Are you sure that this is worth the money? I mean, stealing from the castle is one thing, but kidnapping the princess?" Rogue questioned his partner.

"No way, I was thinking the same thing! Do you think we could just…" Sting was hesitant to continue.

"Let her go?" they asked at the same time.

"Okay so we're letting her go? Just, let her run through the forest?" Rogue questioned.

"Well, we bring her as far as the town and then leave. Ivan already paid us in full." Sting replied. "Alright, that settles it. Princess Lucy!" he called through the door. "We're here to let you…" Sting trailed off as he opened the door. "Oh." the room was empty. It seemed that Princess Lucy had already escaped.

"Where is the princess?!" Ivan shouted as he entered the cabin.

"Well…" Sting hesitated in the doorway. "It seems she escaped."

"How on earth did she escape?!" Ivan held an incredulous tone.

"We went to check on her and she was gone." Rogue replied.

"Ugh!" Ivan stormed into the room before knocking a lamp off a table. "I can see how she escaped the two of you boneheads. What I can't figure out is why she didn't tell her father that she had been captured?" he stroked an imaginary beard, stalking over to the window that was now missing its boards. "Something is odd. I must solve this princess puzzle if I am to be King."

Natsu heard it all. He had followed Ivan to the cabin in the forest, and he was crouched under the window, listening.

"King?" he whispered to himself. "Ivan as king?" Natsu was thoroughly confused.

"Looking for something, Natsu?" Ivan suddenly appeared next to the pink-haired guard.

"How can you be king?" Natsu stood up, facing Ivan head on.

"Well, you're the one who should have all the answers. Isn't it your job to know everything about the princess? Even who she could marry?" a wicked grin slid across the royal adviser's face. Natsu paled at the realization of what Ivan planned to do.

Lucy stole one of her kidnapper's horses to escape. She had used her key magic to summon a small helper that quietly took the boards off the window. She then slipped out of the cabin and rode the horse as fast as she could in the direction of the sunset. She knew that her bedroom window faced the sunset, and she prayed that someone could help to give her directions. Luckily, she made it to a road she recognized, and it led her straight to the palace gate.

"Who goes there?" the guard was suddenly standing alert as he scrutinized her.

"Princess Lucy!" she called to him, revealing her identity. He simply laughed.

"If you're the princess, then I must be the king!" a guffaw left his lips.

"But… I am the princess." Lucy was puzzled at his reaction. Surely the whole kingdom would be looking for her?

"Oh, really? Well then, how come I just saw the princess on her balcony with the King?" he seemed smug with this answer.

"What are you talking about? I-"

"Move along before I lose my temper, little girl." he sneered.

"You are speaking to _princess Lucy_! Now let me through!" she was desperate at this point.

"I said move along! _Now_!" the guard all but roared at the blonde princess. She flinched before turning her horse, terrified at what he would do. Why didn't he recognize her? And what princess was in the castle? Lucy went to the only other place she knew. She slowed her horse as she reached her destination. The sign for Master Jose's shoe and dress emporium loomed over her. As she dismounted, he left the store, a furious look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he seethed.

"Pardon?" Lucy frowned.

"No, I don't want to hear another word! You're coming with me." he gripped her arm with a force she'd never felt and yanked her inside. He all but tossed her down the stairs into the basement, and she stumbled, rolling her ankle. She let out a soft cry of pain that didn't go unnoticed by Gajeel. "You're not done with those shoes yet? If you weren't such a lazy oaf then you'd be finished." Jose spat at Gajeel.

"How dare you - you speak to him that way!" Lucy steeled her spine as she whirled on the person who sold her all of her clothing.

"How dare I? How dare _I_?! Just who do you think you are, girl!" Jose shouted.

"I am princess Lucy!" the blonde announced for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"That's a laugh! You're going to have to change a lot more than just your hair color to look like the princess. Why, the princess and I are close, personal friends." Jose gave a wicked smile.

"Oh really?" Lucy leaned back and crossed her arms, fuming at the man who dared to lie to her face.

"Now shut your mouth and get back to work! You've lost about a million stitches by running off with that boy earlier, and I don't think I should let either of you out until those are made up!" Jose threatened.

"I'm warning you," Lucy seethed with anger, "if you're going to treat your workers like this, we'll take our royal business elsewhere." Lucy was serious about this.

"You're warning _me_?" Jose chortled. "We'll see your attitude change by morning. You're not getting out of here until every last dress is finished, Juvia!" and with that Jose slammed the door to the basement. Gajeel and Lucy both winced as the deadbolt slid home, effectively locking them in.

"Ugh, locked up again!" Lucy groaned with frustration, dropping onto the bench next to her and placing her head in her hands. "And now I'm mistaken for Juvia…"

"You're definitely not Juvia." Gajeel looked Lucy up and down.

"Uh… I'm Lucy." she had nearly forgotten he was there. Gajeel grunted before tapping another nail into the sole of a shoe.

"Gajeel. You're gonna have a hard time, the other only way in and out is through that vent up there. And I don't think that you'll be able to slip through too easily." Gajeel eyed the gap before blatantly looking down at the princess' voluptuous figure.

"Unless…" Lucy grinned, pulling a key from her pocket. "I summon thee, gate of the canis minor. Plue!" with her words came a small puff of smoke, and a tiny little snowman creature appeared. "Plue, can you go to the castle and give them this?" Lucy gave the creature a tag with the address for the shop on it. He nodded his agreement before wobbling out the small gap, starting a steady pace to the palace.

"So the princess can do magic." Gajeel gave her a wide grin. "Nice to know it's not as uncommon as it seems." Lucy smiled sheepishly back at him.

…..

"Oh dear, Juvia is never going to be able to convince the maids she is a princess without Natsu's help!" Juvia worried to herself as there was a knock on her door. She had spent the night in the princess' beautiful room, sleeping soundly on the soft bed. But Natsu had disappeared, and Juvia was afraid that he was in trouble as well as the princess. "Uh, come in!" Juvia called out as there was another knock.

"Your breakfast, your highness." Lisanna brought over a silver tray of food. There was more than Juvia had ever had in one sitting.

"In bed?" she gawked.

"Uh, yes, your highness. As always." Lisanna cocked her head to the side. She noticed that the princess had acted a bit different, but it was hard to place her finger on exactly what it was.

"Right, of course." Juvia nodded. "Thank you. But there is so much! Juv-I could never eat it all. Would you like to share some with me?" Juvia barely caught her mistake.

"Oh, I could never, your highness." Lisanna bowed to her, politely refusing.

"But there is enough to feed a village! Here, try some." Juvia handed the maid a biscuit.

"Thank you, milady. I will draw your bath for this morning, since you were unable to bathe last night. Would you like bubbles, mineral salts, or rose oil?" Lisanna asked, retreating a bit.

"Everything!" Juvia felt bad about what had happened to Lucy, but she was in heaven. She could get used to living like a princess.

Gray and Lyon were in the common room by themselves, discussing what to do.

"So you plan to just tell the princess that you disguised yourself as a messenger? I'm not sure that is the best way to go about it." Lyon bit his lip as he went through the plan with his King.

"I know it's not the best plan, but I have to be honest. She might understand, even. I didn't want to marry a stranger any more than she did." Gray argued with his friend.

"Yeah, at least you didn't run away. I'll leave you to it, I have another meeting with King Jude." Lyon rushed off, not wanting to be around in case the princess didn't take it well. King Gray sighed before heading down the halls to where the princess' room would be. He hesitated before knocking. The door was slightly ajar, and he heard a woman sigh. Curious, he peeked in.

"I don't think I'll ever want to get out." he heard the voice of the princess, but then he saw that a bathing screen was up. His face blushed a furious red, but before he could scramble back out the door he saw an amazing sight. There were millions of orbs of water streaming from behind the screen, and he immediately recognized it as magic.

Gray was awed. He had a talent himself. He could make it snow anytime, anyplace, and he could summon ice to his hands whenever he pleased. So finding out that his bride to be could use magic was relieving. He quietly left the room when the princess began to hum, the water drops in the air swishing back and forth with her voice.

He decided he could wait until later to introduce himself.

Lucy was still struggling with her work in the emporium. Her dresses all had uneven hems and loose stitches, and she pricked her fingers many times.

"You're not doing terribly…" Gajeel winced at her messy workmanship.

"Well, I've got five finished… sort of." Lucy laughed at her pitiful attempts. She yawned, having been up almost the entire night working on them.

"You really don't have to do this, I can do them since Juvia is gone." Gajeel was basically begging her to stop.

"I can't just let you do all this work by yourself. Besides, I'm starting to get the hang of it!" Lucy squealed as she sewed a good row, hemming a gown almost perfectly.

Lucy wasn't the only one who was struggling. Juvia was worried to death for the princess and Natsu.

"Oh, how is Juvia going to do this? Everyone will know Juvia is a fake. They will throw Juv- _me_ in the dungeon for sure! Oh, where is Natsu?" Juvia paced Lucy's room, having just gotten an announcement that King Gray was seeking an audience with her.

"Princess!" Ivan grinned lecherously as he entered Lucy's room. "The King has ordered me to escort you to your fiance." he spat out the last word as if it were poison.

"Uhh… thank you." Juvia was not sure why the man seemed to hate King Gray so much. When Juvia entered the throne room and saw the messenger from the day before wearing fancy clothes and a crown, her jaw dropped.

"Princess Lucy, I must apologize." Gray bowed to her after explaining that he had disguised himself to get to know her better.

"Oh, no, it is perfectly fine." Juvia smiled politely at him, unable to ignore the King's handsome smile. He held his hand out to her, and she stared at it before realizing she was meant to put her hand in his. And so when she did and he kissed her knuckles, Juvia blushed all the way to her newly blonde roots.

"It is an honor." he said as he dropped her fingers.

"Uhh… the honor is all mine, King Gray." Juvia bowed to him. Ivan sneered at Gray behind his back.

"Please, just call me Gray." the man's dark eyes twinkled at her.

"Oh, call me Ju - Lucy! Call me Lucy. That is my name." Juvia forced a laugh.

"I am very glad that I am able to get to know you. The real you. Marrying a complete stranger is worrisome." Gray chuckled at Juvia.

"The real me…" Juvia echoed. She felt her gut twist, remembering that she wouldn't be the one to marry the handsome king. Juvia suddenly felt jealous of Lucy.

"King Gray, would you do us all the honor of sculpting for us? I know that you love ice sculptures." Jude requested.

"You do?" Juvia cocked her head to the side, suddenly very interested.

"Well, I wouldn't call it much of sculpting." Gray barked out a laugh. "But, I would be happy to. As long as the princess agrees to model for me." Juvia balked at this.

"Oh, no. I couldn't possibly…"

"Go ahead, darling. It will be fun!" Jude smiled. Suddenly, Lyon appeared with a block of ice and a few chisels.

"Okay, I guess I'll start now." Gray didn't seem nervous at all. He immediately went to work, chipping away the ice and staring at the bashful Juvia. She forgot to keep her expression as Lucy did, and he was done with his sculpture in what seemed to be no less than fifteen minutes. In reality, nearly forty minutes had gone by. The chilly air in the room helped to keep the ice cold, as well as Gray's magic abilities.

And so when he revealed the sculpture, Juvia gasped. The eyes had her slight slant, which was different than Lucy's wide eyes, and the clear ice held no color. It was truly a carbon copy of the woman in front of Gray. And so Ivan and Jude left the King and Juvia to get to know each other. They talked for a bit, about hobbies and secrets and they giggled as they became comfortable together. They had gone out onto the terrace to watch the sunset together.

Gray surprised Juvia by causing a light snowfall above their heads.

"It may seem impressive, but this is about as much ground as I can cover." he smirked.

"Its breathtaking." Juvia sighed. The combination of the unexpected snow and the firey sunset melted her heart just a little bit more.

"It's the prettiest view I've ever seen." Gray was staring straight at Juvia. She smiled softly, covering her blushing cheeks.

"Oh, stop." she let out a slight giggle. Juvia had fallen _hard_ for the king.

"There's something about you… you're honest. No pretenses. I like that." he grinned at her again. "Until tomorrow, your highness." he kissed her hand again before leaving her on the bench. She gave a frustrated groan as she glared up at the sky.

"Honest? No pretenses? Oh Juvia, Natsu and the princess are still missing. And Juvia has fallen in love with the king!" she wanted to weep. Things had gotten so complicated, and Juvia was just getting deeper into the mess.

"Why, what do we have here? One of the princess' little creatures?" Ivan stooped down to pick up a small snowman that appeared, clutching a note. He plucked the note from the small thing's hand and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Master Jose's address… Well, well, well. What have we got here?" he grinned lecherously. "This may be the answer to the little mystery."

"Oh, Ivan!" Lucy cried with relief when he appeared at the top of the stairs. "You found me!"

"Princess…" he gave another wicked grin. Gajeel warily watched the man descend towards the princess. He instantly felt uneasy around him. "Come quickly, you can tell me everything on the way back to the palace." he gripped her arm, much like Jose had done the night previous.

"But, first let me…" Lucy moved to go thank Gajeel for his help, but Ivan yanked her back to his side.

"No time, your highness." Ivan feigned innocence in his actions. Gajeel tensed as he saw the way that the adviser handled his new friend.

"Princess?" Gajeel said gruffly, standing in case of need for action. But Ivan rushed Lucy out of the store, and the raven haired male stiffly watched as the pair left. He sat back down and continued to make shoes, hoping that Lucy would be okay.

When Ivan's carriage slid to a halt in front of the royal mines, Lucy felt a bit suspicious.

"What are we doing here?" she asked as Ivan hopped out of the driver's seat. He yanked her down and she stumbled again. Her ankle was still weak from rolling it.

"Taking a little side trip." Ivan roughly pulled Lucy into the mine, ignoring her protests. He began leading her down a lit path.

"You were behind this!" she accused, trying to wrench herself from his strong grip.

"Very clever planting a double to fool me. But not quite clever enough. Checkmate! I win!" Ivan cackled.

"Ivan! I don't understand. Why would you do this?" Lucy was very confused by the whole ordeal.

"To be king, you dimwit!" Ivan snapped.

"How would you…? Oh, no! You planned to-"

"To marry you, of course. But now that you know, I've got a new plan in mind." Ivan shoved Lucy into a room. She stumbled over her ankle again, crying out in pain.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, rushing on his knees over to her. His arms were tied behind his back.

"Natsu?!" she became even more confused.

"How sad will your father be when he finds out you've died in a tragic accident?" Ivan pretended to cry. "Oh, well. He won't suffer long, because by this time tomorrow I'll have poisoned him!" he let out another cackle.

"They'll never stop looking for the princess!" Natsu shouted.

"Oh, I think they will. When I show them this!" Ivan held up Lucy's magic key, something she never was without. Her mother had given it to her. "Oh, this is rich. Goodbye, lovebirds! Now you can die together!" Ivan cackled before blocking off the entrance to the collapsed part of the mine. They were now trapped from both sides.

Natsu rushed the door in anger, banging his body against it. It didn't budge.

"We have to stop him!" This wasn't just about Lucy and Natsu anymore. It was about the entire kingdom. As Natsu kicked at the door again, she noticed a small stream of water trickling from the collapsed rubble in the mine. "What's that?" she noticed a glimmering rock next to it. As she picked it up, she gasped at its beauty. It was a geode, she recognized it from her studies. And all of the rocks surrounding them matched it. The mine was full of the precious gems.

"Everything seems to be in order for the wedding tomorrow. Thank you, ambassador Lyon." Jude smiled at his new acquaintance. "Are you ready for tomorrow, darling?" Jude addressed who he thought was his daughter.

"Ready, uh, well…" Juvia grimaced.

"For my bride to be." Gray produced a velvet box in front of Juvia. He opened it, revealing a beautiful sapphire engagement ring. She gasped at it.

"Everyone stop! Grab the girl, she is an imposter!" Ivan announced as he burst in the room. Two guards restrained Juvia.

"What? Get your hands off me!" Juvia struggled to release herself.

"Release the princess!" Gray seemed furious at how the girl he loved was being handled.

"What are you doing?" Jude cried.

"She's a fake, a common pauper!" Ivan defended himself.

"Are you telling me I don't know my own daughter?!" Jude roared with anger.

"I only discovered the truth myself just now, your majesty. Have you not wondered why we haven't seen Natsu recently? He's conspiring with this commoner!" Ivan accused. Gray hesitantly looked at Juvia, who was staring at the floor in shame. "Together they took the princess and hid her in the royal mine, so that this girl could take her place, marry King Gray, and take over the kingdom!"

"And what proof do you have of this preposterous story?!" Gray demanded.

"When I discovered this treachery, I went to save the princess but I was too late. My guards only found remains of a collapsed mine and this," Ivan held up Lucy's key, "was all that was left of her."

"I don't believe it." Gray's voice shook as he stared at Juvia.

"My guards found this magic toy in her room." Ivan held up the color wheel before crushing it in his grip. Juvia's hair faded from brilliant blonde to dark blue, and her eyes followed.

"No! It cannot be!" Jude wept, realizing this meant his daughter was truly gone.

"Check the girl's shoulder. I can assure that the birthmark is not there." Ivan commanded, and sure enough, Juvia's skin was unblemished in that spot.

"It's true…" Jude wailed.

"Juvia can explain!" she pleaded with the kings in front of her. Jude wouldn't meet her eye, but Gray stared coldly at her.

"Throw her in the dungeon!" with Ivan's command the guards began to drag her from the room.

"No, wait! Juvia is not the princess, but Juvia would never hurt anyone!" she cried.

"This is unbelievable!" Lyon spat. "An outrage!" he was having trouble finding words to show how peeved he was.

"Juvia just wanted to save the princess! From _him_!" she wrenched one of her arms from the guards' grip and pointed an accusatory finger at Ivan.

"Dungeon!" Ivan would not risk her foiling his plot yet again. As she was pulled from the room, everyone fell silent.

"What do they take us for!" Lyon burst out, unable to hold his angry words in any longer. "Fools? Trying to marry you off to a, a mere _pauper_?!"

"None of this makes any sense." Gray could not get Juvia's pleading words out of his head. And save the princess from _Ivan_? He was confused by what had just happened.

"The sooner we leave, the happier I'll be." Lyon sniffed, storming from the room. Gray followed, feeling a little lost.

"Sir, I am so sorry for your daughter." Ivan pretended to mourn with his king.

"What do you want, Ivan? I've just lost my only heir and any chance to help my kingdom." Jude was incredulous.

"So many problems. But, I am here to help, my king." Ivan gave Jude a smile.

"You can't bring my daughter back." Jude was a bit miffed at Ivan's attitude.

"Too true. But, I do have answers to save your kingdom. I have a proposition for you. I guess you could say my son "struck gold!"" Ivan chuckled.

"Your son?" Jude was perplexed. He didn't know that Ivan had a son.

"Yes, my son lives in the next town over. My father raised him, and recently he came into a mighty bit of wealth. He is now as wealthy as King Gray." Ivan revealed to Jude. The king felt uneasy.

"And your son? He would be, what, willing to help the kingdom?" Jude questioned his adviser.

"Oh, yes my king. And he would be prepared to lead your people in the event of your demise." Ivan nodded to the man in front of him.

"You mean…" Jude paled.

"Name him as your heir! I mean, what good is your crown and pride when you're gone? I pain for you, my king, I really do. But this is a wonderful proposition, how could you refuse?" Ivan's plan was wicked. But it was working.

"Yes, how could I refuse?" Jude echoed. "Tomorrow, then. In lieu of a wedding, we will have a ceremony. And I will publicly name your son as my heir." Jude was not sure he was all too happy with this plan, but he had no other options. This was the only way to save his kingdom.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. It's hopeless." Natsu apologized at his failed attempts to bust down the solid door. She gave him a soft smile as she watched the puddle grow.

"Natsu," Lucy thought that if she was about to die, she would get something off her chest. "Do you know why I didn't want to marry the king?"

"Because you weren't ready to get married." Natsu thought he had already figured that out.

"No." Lucy smiled sadly. "It was because I'm in love with somebody else." Natsu froze at this. "My best friend. The man who is always with me, protecting me." The pink haired man slowly turned to the girl he loved.

"But… Luce, I'm not a king. I can't give you anything." Natsu looked pained at this.

"I think you're like this." Lucy held up the geode from before.

"A rock?" Natsu scoffed, slightly offended.

"No, you dummy." Lucy giggled. "Unassuming on the outside, but a treasure within." she revealed the crystals glistening on the inside. Natsu froze at her words, then rushed to her, embracing her within his strong arms.

"I promise I'll get us out of here." as Natsu said this, dirt rained down on them from above. The pair peered up at a light source.

"A mine shaft?" Lucy gasped. She looked back towards the trickling stream that continued to grow. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head as she saw an empty barrel. "Natsu, here, help me." she moved to go and push more of the rubble from the stream. More water began to pour from the opening.

"Lucy, what are you - you're a genius!" Natsu was awed at how incredibly intelligent the girl he loved was. So he immediately went over and helped her to push more rocks out of the way. A few more streams of water burst forth, quickly putting the water level up to their ankles.

"Beautiful." Lucy beamed, rushing to grab the barrel.

After Juvia had been locked up, she cried. A lot. She realized she would never see Gray again and she would probably be killed for treason. But then she realized her guard had fallen asleep. And so she had the genius idea to escape. She knew that if she could just stop Ivan's evil plan, she could probably be spared. So, she created an orb of water. It took a while to pull the moisture from the air, but she placed it over the keyhole on her cell and as it passed through, she heard a click signalling it had unlocked.

"Thank goodness." she whispered to herself. She snuck past the sleeping guard, letting out a squeal of surprise when he suddenly woke and gripped her arm. "No, let me go!" she wailed.

"Thought you could escape, did you? I'll lock her up." the guard who was sleeping said to another who had appeared. The new one had their helmet obscuring their eyes, where the other did not have their eye shield down.

"I'm here to take her to the castle." the new guard announced.

"But…" the guard hesitated.

"King's orders." the new guard had a height advantage, which seemed to solidify his importance in the sleepy guard's eyes.

"Oh, well, right then." he awkwardly handed Juvia off to the new guard, and he nodded to his fellow man before the new one escorted Juvia off. He got her outside before Juvia attempted to run off again. "This way." the guard pulled her in a direction she didn't recognize. She _had_ to save the king. So she stomped on the foot of the guard and attempted to run off. "Hey!" he gripped her arm tighter. "I guess I deserved that." the guard pulled his helmet off to reveal his face.

"Gray?" Juvia gasped. "Juvia needs to explain."

"Juvia, I don't believe you're the person Ivan said you were." Gray shook his head at her.

"You love disguises, don't you?" Juvia giggled. Gray smirked back before he remembered his mission.

"Come on, we need to hurry!" Gray gripped Juvia's hand, causing her to blush, and he led her towards the castle.

Inside the castle, King Jude was just beginning to address the group of people having a meal in his grand ballroom.

"I've invited you all here today to mourn the loss of my dear daughter, Lucy." Jude announced, clearing his throat.

"Gone too soon." remarked Ivan, who was seated at Jude's right hand. "The king here is trying to announce a second heir to take the throne, since his daughter perished so tragically." Ivan was not satisfied with the slow pace the king was moving at. Ivan gestured to his son, who was seated across from him on Jude's left hand side. "Laxus, stand up."

"Ah, yes. Naming an heir. As you all know," Jude hesitated, "I planned to marry my daughter, Lucy, and King Gray of Isvan to secure the future of this kingdom. But as you all know, that can no longer be done." he let out a watery sigh. "So. My adviser, Ivan, let me know his son from Crocus would be able to step in."

"Yes, my son Laxus has come into a great deal of wealth. He would be able to take care of the people of Magnolia." Ivan grinned at the guests. They all murmured.

"So with you all, ah, present and as witnesses," Jude paused again, "I would like to… to name… my heir to t-the throne as... As…."

"Wait! Stop, father, stop!" The doors burst open, revealing Lucy and Natsu in the flesh. Jude gasped with happiness.

"Lucy?" he cried.

"But, your highness, she's dead! The girl in the prison must have escaped." Ivan was sure that Lucy and Natsu would have no way of escaping alive.

"No, Ivan!" and princess Lucy lowered the sleeve of her gown to reveal her birthmark.

"It is you! Lucy, darling!" Jude wailed, coming forward to embrace his beloved daughter. The crowd gasped with shock at the sight of her. Juvia and Gray appeared, merely seconds after Natsu and Lucy.

"It's the princess! She's alive!" Juvia exclaimed with happiness.

"But, where have you been? I thought…" King Jude trailed off.

"You thought what Ivan made you think!" Lucy pointed an accusing finger at her father's adviser, much like Juvia had once done.

"Guards! Take him!" Jude roared as Ivan attempted to sneak off. Seeing the guards begin to advance, he began to sprint.

"He can't get away!" Juvia gasped.

"He won't get away!" Gray stepped up, clapping his hands together and crouching down, slapping his palms onto the marble flooring. Ice shot out from his fingertips, coating the ground in front of Ivan. He slipped and slid right into Natsu, who caught him with ease.

"Going somewhere?" Lucy taunted, before kicking him directly in the head, successfully knocking him out. Natsu grinned adoringly at the blonde, and she returned his loving gaze. Juvia giggled at the sight. Gray merely smiled.

"I can't believe that Ivan played me for a fool. I am so sorry, Lucy. When I think what almost happened to you…" Jude said with anguish.

"But it didn't, thanks to Juvia and the man I'm in love with… Natsu." Lucy grabbed her best friend's hand.

"Natsu?" Jude echoed, seemingly confused.

"Yes, Natsu. He's kind, brave, and my best friend. Father, it's… it's Natsu that I want to marry." Lucy confessed as Natsu squeezed her tiny hand in his.

"Lucy, I truly want you to be happy. But we have a duty to our people, and we must take care of them first." Jude shook his head sadly. Lucy's throat tightened, but she cleared it, determined to make things right.

"I can do that, father. I found something in the mines, something that can save our people!" she pulled a geode out of her pocket. "There's got to be a million more like this."

"My darling Lucy…" Jude teared up, embracing his daughter. "You're amazing, just like your mother."

"Are you sure that I can't convince you to stay?" Gray held both of Juvia's hands with his own.

"Juvia has dreamed her whole life of being free. Now Lucy has freed Juvia from her debt." she sadly explained to Gray.

"Where will you go?" Gray wanted to be sure she would return to him.

"Juvia wishes to go everywhere, to see the world and share her gift." Juvia wanted to do so for her parents, who never got the chance.

"Then, I hope you'll take this with you." Gray showed her the engagement ring again.

"Juvia couldn't." she coyly shook her head.

"Juvia, it was meant for you. I fell in love with you, not who you were pretending to be." Gray coerced the girl into wearing the beautiful ring.

"No promises?" Juvia hesitated. She loved Gray, so so much, but with his help she was free. And she knew that when she was ready, she would come back to him and show him how much he meant to her.

"I'll take my chances." Gray smirked.

It turned out that princess Lucy was right about the mines being filled with the precious geodes. She directed a new industry that saved the kingdom's finances, and she even instituted a financial backup to ensure that bankruptcy would not happen again.

Lucy even put Master Jose out of business. But, she brought Gajeel in to work as a cobbler to the castle, making sure her friend would be paid well. And so would his children, and their children, and their children… Lucy made sure that he knew how much she appreciated his help in her time of need.

And Juvia, well she travelled for only a few months before she realized she couldn't stand to be from Gray any longer. She knew that there wasn't anywhere else she wanted to be but by his side. Sometimes being free doesn't mean choosing to go, but it means to stay.

At Lucy and Natsu's wedding, Lucy wore a beautiful dress made by Juvia. Not the same one that Juvia had started the short while ago, but a brand new one that was even better than the last. Jude cried so much snot dribbled from his nose, and Juvia was the only bridesmaid.

Two weeks later, Juvia and Gray were married as well. Gajeel made his dear friend a dress, stating that since it was for her wedding she needn't do any work. And he made sure her shoes were the same sapphire blue as her ring. Gajeel walked her down the aisle, and as he handed her off to Gray he made sure to whisper a warning into the king of Isvan's ear not to hurt her. Gray, of course, could never dream of it.

None of these people knew what their stories would lead to. But, they found that their happiness was written beautifully in each of their hearts. All they had to do was follow.


End file.
